Everything seemed in place for a festive night of Patriot baseball.

A large spring vacation week crowd was on hand Tuesday under the bright new field lights that were dedicated prior to the game. And the opponent was Hoke County, not considered one of the leading lights of baseball in the Southeastern 4-A Conference.

But, the Patriots looked like a dim bulb.

The Bucks took control early, batting around in a tedious five-run second inning. The home team never really mounted a serious challenge in the 9-4 loss.

Hoke coach Gary Brigman was grateful for the luminosity and the important win after losing 5-3 to Purnell Swett in the school’s conference opener.

“We appreciate the new lighting,” he said. “In the preseason (before the start of conference play), I think all seven conference teams were undefeated. I know Pinecrest has a good ball club. We knew this was a big game. We felt we had to come out of the week 1-1.”

Patriot starter Stuart Richardson had trouble locating the strike zone right from the start. He walked two and escaped a bases-loaded situation in the first by striking out Josh Sutton.

With runners on first and second and one out in the Bucks’ second, a couple of misplays paved the way for five runs.

On an attempted double steal, catcher Ben Richardson made the short dummy throw to second baseman Matt Chriscoe, but lead runner Dennis Jones still beat the return throw to the plate.

With two outs, third baseman Joey Clark let a grounder go through his legs for two more runs. Bucks’ pitcher Karon Wood then took Richardson deep for a two-run homer and a 5-0 Bucks lead.

In the bottom of the third, a base running snafu cost the Patriots a chance to get back in the game.

With one out, Nate Ernst singled hard to right and T.J. Hawthorne followed with a liner between third and short to put runners on first and third.

But on the first pitch to Chriscoe, Hawthorne got himself hung up between first and second base. The debacle ended in the worst way with Ernst tagged out trying to get back to third base.

Tyler Wolfe got one back for the Pats with a big fly over the left-center wall with one out in the fourth. It was the first earned run off Wood this season. But the Bucks came right back with three runs off Drew Anker in the fifth to make it 8-1.

Now 0-2 in the conference, the Patriots will be in a situation of some urgency when they travel to Lumberton tonight for a 7 p.m. contest.

Chriscoe struggled to explain why the Patriots seemed flat for the second game in a row. They lost 5-4 in extra innings to Anson last Friday after leading 4-0. He thought that the comfort level of a home game and an opponent they usually beat might have been a factor.

“I think we realized some things tonight,” the senior said. “We have to come to play every night.”

Wood gave up two runs on four hits in six innings to improve his record to 2-0 and his team’s to 6-1. Centerfielder Dennis Jones was four-for-four for the Bucks with three runs scored.

In addition to his second home run of the year and two RBIs, Wolfe distinguished himself by starting at shortstop, catching two innings and throwing out a base runner — and then pitching the final two and a third innings, giving up one run on two hits while striking out three. Richardson took the loss to even his record at 1-1.

Prior to the game representatives of the Williams Foundation, Lee Electrical Construction and Clark Electrical were honored for their part in making the lighting improvements a reality.

Tim Maples, representing the Williams Foundation, and Donny Lee threw out ceremonial first pitches. Robert Lee, Jerry Lee and Larry Richardson of Lee Electrical, Luther Adams of the Williams Foundation and Jeff Clark of Clark Electrical were also recognized on the field.

Wednesday’s game against Seventy-First was postponed so the Mid-South 4-A school could make up a conference game.

Hoke 0 5 0 0 3 0 1 — 9 9 3

Pinecrest 0 0 0 1 1 0 2 — 4 5 3

Wood, McNeil (7) and Floyd; S. Richardson, Anker (3), Wolfe (5) and B. Richardson, Wolfe (3), Anker (5); 2B – (H) Jones, (P) Carpenter; HR – (H) Woods, (P) Wolfe; RBI – (H) Woods 2, Buie, Jones, C. Maynor (P) Wolfe 2, Carpenter, Scott; WP – Woods 2-0, LP – S. Richardson 1-1